Baking Bread

One of the great things about working on a college campus is the infusion of energy and talent students bring.  With six Soderquist Fellows and three undergraduate student workers, we benefit from that on a daily basis.  Today, as I was walking past the zig-zag chain of workstations affectionately known as “the snake”, I noticed a breadmaker located between two of our Fellows – and it was running!  We laughed about it and a couple of hours later, the smell of fresh, wheat bread filled the office. 

On the surface, this is a relatively small thing (and someone’s probably wondering why this would be tolerated at work.)  But to me, it’s a strong cultural statement about how a simple and unconventional act adds to our team and the environment in which we work.  It’s not about the bread.  It’s about their initiative to enhance everyone’s day.  Ask yourself, how many people on my team take unconventional initiative to promote a positive culture?  And then ask yourself, do I foster or squelch those efforts?  This is a lesson that our Center continues to teach me.

Yeah, the bread smelled good but having a place where people enjoy coming to work is critically important to the satisfaction and productivity of everyone.